Page 55 of Gold Diggers

Summer looked at them and felt a little stab of jealousy. Sarah had her hair long, blonde and loose like Molly’s; they were both in tiny dresses that skimmed mid-thigh, drinking and giggling. They looked like sisters.

‘Come on, sweetheart,’ said Molly, standing up and slipping on her silver flip-flops. ‘We’re going to go across to Abdul’s first. He always has the best caviar.’

Summer turned to her friend. ‘Sarah, shouldn’t you be getting back to your shoot? It’s almost eight o’clock already.’

Sarah waved a hand in the air, then had to quickly put it down again to steady herself. ‘Oh don’t fuss, Sum. I’m only going to be half an hour. Anyway, I’m scouting locations. They’ll understand.’

‘Are you coming?’ Molly asked Summer, a hint of impatience in her voice.

Summer could see Molly was coked-up, she knew those eyes well, and she shook her head. She knew where this night was going. Molly responded with a narrowing of the eyes, a look that said ‘killjoy’.

‘Well, if you must stay here, don’t spend all night giggling with that frump Erin. Go and find yourself a man; there’re some loaded bankers down the front. No point in wasting the whole trip.’

As Molly and Sarah staggered off arm in arm, Summer called after them, ‘What should I tell Marcus if he asks where you are?’

‘As Sarah says, we’re going to be half an hour. Don’t wait up!’

Summer rolled her eyes. Some things never changed.

‘Look at us, gambling widows,’ smiled Diana, settling back into a chair in Le Bar Américain in the Hôtel De Paris. Karin picked a pistachio nut from the table in front of her and offered a thin smile. After the scene with Adam on the yacht, she had felt glad to retreat to the De Paris, opposite the casino, for drinks with Diana and Christina.

‘This is exactly why I hate grand prix weekend,’ sniffed Christina. ‘Not only does the noise of those cars zooming round the track give me tinnitus, the men just turn into total bores. I tell you, Ari used to say he was popping into the casino, and fifty grand later he’d still be there. Deaf and poor: that’s where grand prix weekend leaves you.’

‘So who was that blonde at the tables?’ asked Diana, sipping her Bloody Mary.

Karin pulled a sour face. She didn’t want to be reminded; her day was going from bad to worse. After their spat, she and Adam had hardly said two words to one another during the cocktail reception on board The Pledge. When one of the party of bankers had suggested a trip to the casino, Adam had pointedly asked Claudia Falcon to accompany them to the leather-lined salon privé of the casino. With everyone watching, Karin had had to ask for a lift to the casino bar. It had been humiliating.

‘It’s a bit strange, isn’t it?’ said Christina. ‘I’ve never seen them let a woman join the table before. It’s usually all boys together.’

‘Well, she’s practically a man,’ sniffed Karin. ‘She’s MD of some investment bank. Real ball-breaker by the sounds of it. Helping Midas finance some brownfield site or something.’

‘Well, watch it,’ warned Christina. ‘You don’t want Adam to … Shit.’ Christina’s face had suddenly turned as white as paper.

‘What’s the matter?’ asked Diana, twisting around to follow her gaze.

‘Emily Kent has just walked into the bar.’

The name didn’t sound familiar to either Karin or Diana.

‘Joshua’s maths tutor,’ murmured Christina distractedly. ‘Joshua was falling behind with his schoolwork so I got someone to help him out. What on earth is she doing here?’

Karin looked around to see a slim, nondescript brunette standing at the entrance of the bar as if she was looking for someone. She didn’t look anything like the average De Paris guest. Mid-twenties, a floral summer dress hovering at her knee, her face freshly scrubbed and free of make-up, her light brown bobbed hair pushed back off her face. She looked more like a librarian than a grand prix goer – and her face fell as she spotted Christina rising and walking towards her.

‘Emily. What a surprise!’ said Christina, kissing the air lightly in the direction of her cheeks.

‘Likewise,’ replied Emily, her eyes still scanning the room. ‘I thought you gave the grand prix a wide berth.’

‘Yes, well, here I am.’ She paused. ‘And who told you that? Ari?’

Emily nodded awkwardly as a thought popped into Christina’s mind. But surely not, she thought, that’s just not possible.

‘So who are you here with?’ asked Christina, trying hard to sound casual.

‘Just a friend,’ stammered Emily. ‘And how’s Joshua? I haven’t seen him in a little while.’

‘Really? I wasn’t aware that Ari had stopped tuition.’